Kentucky
Illinois vs. Kentucky Prediction, Odds, Key Players to Watch for NCAA Tournament Second Round
No. 3 seed Kentucky will be a betting underdog on Sunday in Milwaukee against No. 6 seed Illinois in what should be one of the most entertaining matchups of the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Fighting Illini, who were pegged as a dark horse in the Midwest Region, are favored in the second round against the Wildcats, as both teams looked the part in the first round with double digit victories.
Can Illinois make good on being a favorite? What about a sky high total in the 170’s? Let’s break down this game from a betting perspective below.
Spread
Moneyline
Total: 170.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Illinois
Kasparas Jakucionis: The freshman guard had it all working in the first round against Xavier, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds and 10 assists. While he was still plagued by turnovers, he had six in the win, the conservative Kentucky defense will not pose as much of a threat in that department. He can be in for another big effort on Sunday.
Kentucky
Otega Oweh: The Oklahoma transfer continued his torrid second half of the season, scoring 20 points with eight rebounds and six assists as Kentucky pulled away from Troy in the second half to advance. Oweh is a force at getting to the rim with an emerging perimeter game, how will he continue his NCAA Tournament performance?
With two fast pace offenses that have bucket getters all along the roster, I’m going to side with the over in this one.
While the Illinois defense is formidable, the Kentucky offense will be comfortable against the opponents drop coverage. The Wildcats are flush with players that can score from off the dribble, one of the best offenses in the country in dribble jump shots while also able to use its off-ball motion to put pressure on Illinois’ over-playing defense that wants to run teams off the three-point line.
Meanwhile, Illinois’ up-tempo attack should give Kentucky fits in transition, similar to how Alabama did in SEC play. The Fighting Illini have some similarities to the Crimson Tide, who scored 102, 96 and 99 points in two games against the Wildcats.
On the year, Kentucky has allowed KenPom top 20 offenses in adjusted offensive efficiency to score to allow nearly 94 points per game in seven instances, and I believe with Illinois’ up-tempo attack, ranking top 20 in the country in adjusted tempo, this game will fly over the total.
PICK: OVER 170.5 (-115, Available at FanDuel Sportsbook)
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It’s clear that this Kentucky team relies very heavily on its starting point guard, Jaland Lowe. It has been evident that when he’s out, Kentucky struggles to create any offense, but when he’s in, it couldn’t flow any smoother. A big part of that is the fact that the Wildcats don’t really have a backup point guard. Denzel Aberdeen isn’t really a true point guard, and Jasper Johnson has flashy moments through a bunch of struggles as a young freshmen. But, it all comes down to Lowe’s health, who could go out any second with his shoulder injury.
We’ve already seen it multiple times this season, in the last two games specifically. Lowe went out against Indiana during the first half, playing just 9 minutes before following it up with a 16-minute second half, when the Wildcats rallied down the stretch. Then, Saturday against Rick Pitino and St. John’s, Lowe hurt his shoulder again just seven seconds after checking into the game. He then returned early in the second half before his team rallied yet again. He’s a difference-maker, clearly, but is Mark Pope interested in adding a mid-year player through the transfer portal to back him up in case things go south? He addressed those swirling rumors on his radio show Monday night.
First of all, Pope fully expects Lowe to remain healthy, or at least continue playing through the pain. “I have every expectation Jaland is going to be with us the whole season,” Pope said. As far as a mid-year addition goes as a backup for Lowe, Pope has the utmost confidence in his guys to get it done, in particular Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson, who he says are getting more and more comfortable at that position. “We have a great roster. I’m not sure we’re shopping a lot right now,” Pope said when asked about a possible addition to the roster. “We have an unbelievable amount of faith in our guys, first of all, with Jaland. Jasper is going to grow into a starring role. He’s been so good. D.A. is becoming more and more and more comfortable becoming a full-time point, but also being on the move at the two. …I think we have an incredible, incredible run ahead of us. That’s what we’re thinking about with this roster right now.”
Well, there you have it. Mark Pope is comfortable with guys he has. He likely doesn’t want to also take the chance of interrupting the team chemistry either, especially right now as Kentucky is coming off back-to-back wins over quality opponents and as soon as they’ve gotten healthy.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC) – Governor Andy Beshear announced a major expansion of Kentucky’s manufacturing sector as Midwest Equipment Manufacturing Inc. plans to invest $15 million to expand operations in Maysville, creating 66 skilled jobs.
“Kentucky’s thriving manufacturing sector has been an important component in our state’s recent economic momentum,” Beshear said. “We continue to see leaders in the manufacturing sector invest in the commonwealth and our communities, providing good-paying, quality job opportunities for Kentuckians, and this includes 66 new jobs being created by Midwest Equipment Manufacturing. I want to thank the company’s leaders for relocating and investing in Mason County, and I look forward to seeing their success in our New Kentucky Home.”
The project will transform the company’s Maysville facility into a new manufacturing hub, helping address labor shortages and production backlogs. Several key product lines, including the Tru-Cut Mower and the 500 Series Brown Bear Composter, will be relocated from Thorntown, Indiana, to Maysville.
Dan Kallevig, president of Tru-Cut Mowers, said the company is enthusiastic about the move. “I have been to Maysville a few times in the past few months, and I am very impressed with the kindness of the people I have met.”
“As part of the ongoing renaissance of residential and commercial activity in the city’s east end neighborhood, the city of Maysville is pleased to express its full support for the relocation of Midwest Equipment Manufacturing to Maysville. We remain committed to sustaining the positive momentum within our community and are excited to not only retain 16 valuable manufacturing jobs in our city but also welcome the creation of an additional 66 positions through Midwest Equipment Manufacturing’s expansion,” said Maysville Mayor Debra L. Cotterill.
Beverly Hills fire: Nick Clooney recounts event that left 165 dead
Nick Clooney, who was a TV anchor at the time, remembers the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire 40 years later. He’s joined by state Sen. Julian Carroll, hospital administrator John Hoyle and volunteer Bill Klingenberg.
Meg Vogel, Cincinnati
George Clooney’s sister, Adelia “Ada” Zeidler, died on Friday in Northern Kentucky.
Zeidler died at St. Elizabeth Hospital on Dec. 19, according to her obituary. Clooney confirmed to People magazine his sister died after a battle with cancer. She was 65.
“My sister, Ada, was my hero,” Clooney told the magazine. “She faced down cancer with courage and humor. I’ve never met anyone so brave. Amal and I will miss her terribly.”
Zeidler was born in May 1960 to her parents, Nick and Nina Clooney in Los Angeles, her obituary says. She was an artist and worked as an elementary art teacher at Augusta Independent School for several years. She was a member of the Augusta Art Guild and was a past grand marshal of Augusta’s Annual White Christmas Parade.
Augusta, Kentucky, is a small town about an hour east of Cincinnati along the Ohio River. It was the childhood home of Clooney while his father, Nick Clooney, was a reporter for WKRC Local 12.
In a 2015 interview with “CBS This Morning,” Clooney noted he is really close with his family. “My sister, I’m very close to,” he said.
Zeidler was not a public figure like Clooney. But in 2012, she gave an interview to the New York Daily News, where she shared that she had dreams of becoming an actor herself.
“Yes, there is a part of me that would very much like to have become a famous actress or something like that,” she said at the time. “I enjoy acting and I was fairly OK at it, but I did not have a thick enough skin for it.”
She added that she instead prioritized raising her children, saying, “I really enjoyed being a wife and a mother and that kind of wound up taking precedence with me.”
Zeidler was preceded in death by her husband Norman Zeidler, who died in 2004.
She leaves behind her two children, Nick Zeidler and Allison Zeidler Herolaga and her husband, Kenny; her brother, Clooney and his wife, Amal; and several uncles, aunts, and cousins.
A funeral Mass will be offered at noon on Monday, Dec. 22, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Maysville, Kentucky. Private interment will be in the St. Patrick Cemetery in Washington, Kentucky.
USA TODAY reporter Brendan Morrow contributed.
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